Woman tested for swine flu in Manchester

A WOMAN is being tested for possible swine flu at a Manchester hospital. The Canadian woman, who fell ill while visiting family in Sale, Trafford, was admitted to the North Manchester General Hospital on Monday morning.

The UK has been placed on alert as the global health watchdog warned countries to look out for unusual flu cases.

World Health Organisation director-general Margaret Chan said the outbreak in Mexico and the United States constituted a “public health emergency of international concern”.

It means nations will be expected to step up reporting and surveillance of the contagious respiratory disease, which she said had “pandemic potential”.

The H1N1 strain of swine flu usually associated with pigs has spread to humans, causing symptoms including fever and fatigue.

More than 100 people have died of pneumonia in Mexico after contracting a flu-like virus and many others - including children in a New York school - have been made ill in the US and Mexico.

Health authorities are monitoring the situation as tests were carried out to assess the potential of the virus to spread.

According to the UK Health Protection Agency, there is currently a “very low level” of flu activity in the UK. The agency added that H1N1 was treatable with antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza.

However, the Government's Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said Britain will inevitably be hit by cases of swine flu at some point.

“I think it is inevitable that at some point we will have cases in the United Kingdom,” he told BBC Radio 4's The World At One. “Hopefully, if we identify those early and treat people and their contacts, we might be able to reduce the spread.”

Britons are not currently being advised to avoid travelling to affected areas of Mexico and the US, although anyone visiting those destinations or who has recently returned should consult a doctor if they experience flu-like symptoms.

To prevent the spread of illness, the HPA advised people to cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, to throw away dirty tissues promptly and carefully, and to wash hands and surfaces which are regularly touched.